{"title":"What Child Neurologists Need to Know About Pediatric Glioma","authors":"Subhi Talal Younes MD, PhD, Murali Chintagumpala MD","doi":"10.1016/j.pediatrneurol.2025.05.029","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.pediatrneurol.2025.05.029","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Pediatric neuro-oncology is a rapidly evolving field. Novel classification paradigms are being created as new tumor entities emerge from the application of molecular techniques to large cohorts of patients. Similarly, more treatment options than ever before are available to the pediatric neuro-oncologist, particularly as new targeted agents are applied to tumors with specific mutations. Given the rapidity of change in this field, it is crucial that providers caring for children with brain tumors be familiar with these latest developments to provide appropriate care. This review focuses on the latest advancements in the biology and treatment of pediatric glioma.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":19956,"journal":{"name":"Pediatric neurology","volume":"169 ","pages":"Pages 167-176"},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2025-06-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144364859","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Hydroxyzine Versus Triclofos for Sedation for Electroencephalography Recording in Children: A Noninferiority Randomized Controlled Trial","authors":"Narmadham K. Bharathi MD, DM , Sangeetha Yoganathan MD, DNB, DM , Maya Thomas DCH, MD, DM , Annadurai Subramanian MPharm, PhD (Pharmacy) , Antonisamy Belavendra PhD , Winsley Rose MD, MSc (Epi) , Yezhilarasi Ganesan BSc (Chem)","doi":"10.1016/j.pediatrneurol.2025.05.028","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.pediatrneurol.2025.05.028","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>Triclofos is commonly used for sedation in children for electroencephalography (EEG) recording. A noninferiority randomized controlled trial was conducted to assess the efficacy, safety, and acceptability of hydroxyzine as an alternate drug for sedation.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>Children aged six months to five years who did not sleep naturally for EEG recording were randomly assigned to receive either hydroxyzine or triclofos in 1:1 ratio. Our primary outcome was successful EEG completion as defined by achieving at least 40 minutes of sleep record in a one-hour EEG recording. Our secondary outcomes were Ramsay sedation score, time taken for sedation, need for second dose of sedative agent, yield of abnormal EEG records, incidence of adverse events, technologist and caregiver satisfaction score (based on a Likert scale), neurologist assessment of motion artifacts based on a visual analog scale, and effect of the drug on the amplitude and frequency of the background rhythm. The parents were interviewed telephonically regarding any adverse effects within the next 24 hours.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Successful EEG completion was achieved in 82.6% in the hydroxyzine arm and in 90.2% in the triclofos arm with a mean difference of −7.66 (95% confidence interval: −16.5 to 1.2, <em>P</em> = 0.092). Secondary outcomes such as time taken to sleep, need for second dose of sedation, yield of abnormal EEG records, adverse effect profile, neurologist grading of motion artifacts, and effect on background were comparable between both groups.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>Hydroxyzine may be a safe, acceptable, and efficacious alternative sedative agent for EEG recording in children.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":19956,"journal":{"name":"Pediatric neurology","volume":"170 ","pages":"Pages 4-10"},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2025-06-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144510893","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Safety, Efficacy, and Tolerability of Ketogenic Diet Versus Adrenocorticotropic Hormone in Infantile Epileptic Spasms Syndrome: A Randomized Controlled Trial","authors":"Aakash Mahesan DM , Sheffali Gulati MD , Vishal Sondhi DM , Anuja Agarwala MSc , Kanak Lata Gupta MSc , Gautam Kamila DM , Prashant Jauhari DM , Biswaroop Chakrabarty DM , Ravindra Mohan Pandey MD","doi":"10.1016/j.pediatrneurol.2025.05.027","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.pediatrneurol.2025.05.027","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>Ketogenic diet (KD) is efficacious in adrenocorticotrophic hormone (ACTH)–refractory infantile epileptic spasms syndrome (IESS) with lesser side effects. Upfront treatment with KD in IESS is least explored. This study aims to compare the efficacy of upfront treatment with KD compared with ACTH in IESS.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>In this open-label randomized controlled trial, infants aged 6-24 months with an electroclinical diagnosis of IESS were enrolled and randomly assigned to either the KD or the ACTH arm. The primary efficacy end point was to compare spasm reduction at six weeks of therapy from the baseline between the two arms. Secondary end points were electroclinical spasm cessation rates at six weeks, relapse after initial clinical response, adverse effects, and developmental progress at 24 weeks of follow-up.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>A total of 178 children were screened; 87 children were randomized of which 41 received ACTH and 42 received KD. At six weeks of therapy, the median (interquartile range) percentage spasm reduction was comparable (66.7% [24.5-100] for ACTH vs 76.6% [56.3-100] for KD [<em>P</em> = 0.39]). The electroclinical spasm cessation rates were similar. There were higher relapses in the ACTH arm in those with initial clinical spasm cessation (38.9% ACTH vs 0 KD, <em>P</em> = 0.004) at 24 weeks’ follow-up. The proportion of children having at least one side effect was higher in the ACTH arm (95.1% ACTH vs 59.5% KD; relative risk, 1.6 [1.23-2.1]).</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>KD may not be inferior to ACTH as first-line therapy for IESS with a better side effect profile and fewer relapses compared with ACTH.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":19956,"journal":{"name":"Pediatric neurology","volume":"169 ","pages":"Pages 196-203"},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2025-06-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144481229","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pediatric neurologyPub Date : 2025-05-30DOI: 10.1016/j.pediatrneurol.2025.05.024
Mohammad Y. Sawahreh MD , Amani Hamid MD , AbdelRahman T. Salem MD , Khoulod Mohamed MD , Colin V.E. Powell MD , Ruba Benini MD, PhD
{"title":"Urgent Video Electroencephalography in the Pediatric Emergency Department: Is It Useful?","authors":"Mohammad Y. Sawahreh MD , Amani Hamid MD , AbdelRahman T. Salem MD , Khoulod Mohamed MD , Colin V.E. Powell MD , Ruba Benini MD, PhD","doi":"10.1016/j.pediatrneurol.2025.05.024","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.pediatrneurol.2025.05.024","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>Seizures account for about 1% of pediatric emergency department (PED) visits. Electroencephalography (EEG) is essential for evaluating seizures and other neurological concerns. The utility of urgent video-EEG (vEEG) in the PED remains unclear. The objective of this study was to study the role of vEEG in evaluating children presenting with seizures and other paroxysmal events.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>A retrospective chart review analysis was conducted at a single tertiary children's hospital over a three-year period in children (0-18 years) presenting to a PED with neurological symptoms and underwent vEEG.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>A total of 277 patients underwent vEEG (142 females [52%]; mean age, 7.7 years). The most common indications were new-onset paroxysmal events (37%) and first unprovoked seizure (20%). vEEG was performed within 24 hours of the event and sleep was achieved in 92% and 80% of patients, respectively. Most patients (61%) had abnormal findings. Perinatal risk factors, pre-existing developmental delay, pre-established epilepsy, and an abnormal neurological examination highly correlated with vEEG abnormalities (<em>P</em> < 0.05). Clinical events captured during monitoring differentiated epileptic from nonepileptic episodes (16%). New-onset paroxysmal events were diagnosed as epileptic in 60%. Specific epilepsy syndromes were identified in 57% of this subgroup. vEEG contributed to initiation of antiseizure medications (47%) and impacted decisions to change antiseizure medications in 67% of patients with known epilepsy. Abnormalities on neuroimaging were found in approximately half of the patients with abnormal vEEG who were imaged.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>This study suggests that urgent vEEG in PEDs can lead to early diagnosis and treatment, reduce the need for further investigations, and potentially improve outcomes. However, the cost-effectiveness and availability of vEEG in PEDs need further evaluation.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":19956,"journal":{"name":"Pediatric neurology","volume":"169 ","pages":"Pages 177-184"},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2025-05-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144365542","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pediatric neurologyPub Date : 2025-05-30DOI: 10.1016/j.pediatrneurol.2025.05.026
Meryem El Azizi PhD (Pediatric Resident) , Widad Lahmini MD (Professor of Pediatric) , Mounir Bourrous MD (Professor of Pediatric)
{"title":"Quality of Life in Children With Epilepsy in the Area of Marrakesh","authors":"Meryem El Azizi PhD (Pediatric Resident) , Widad Lahmini MD (Professor of Pediatric) , Mounir Bourrous MD (Professor of Pediatric)","doi":"10.1016/j.pediatrneurol.2025.05.026","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.pediatrneurol.2025.05.026","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>Epilepsy can have a considerable effect on the quality of life (QoL) of children in its different aspects. To date, available knowledge on QoL of children with epilepsy (CWE) is limited in Morocco. The goals of this study are to analyze the overall QoL in CWE in its different aspects in the area of Marrakesh and to identify the contributing factors amenable to change.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>This prospective study included children followed up for epilepsy in the Pediatric Department of the Mohammed VI University Hospital of Marrakesh during a period of one year. The patient's caregivers were handed a questionnaire to fill in with the presence of the same doctor each time.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Age varied between 5 and 16 years. Most of the patients' parents were married (94.20%). The majority of children had seizure duration of more than one year (90.4%). Patients had one seizure or more per year in 72.1% of cases. The QoL overall mean score was 83.70%. The physical section was found to be affected the most with the lowest mean score (78.84%). The overall QoL was not significantly affected by demographic characteristics.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>The factors affecting the overall QoL mean score were seizure frequency and polytherapy. The cognitive aspect was affected by seizure duration and therapy duration. The social aspect was affected by the parents' marital status and seizure frequency. The physical aspect was only affected by the seizure frequency. Recognition of these aspects will be helpful for professionals enabling effective care for CWE rather than a simple treatment control.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":19956,"journal":{"name":"Pediatric neurology","volume":"170 ","pages":"Pages 11-16"},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2025-05-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144510894","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pediatric neurologyPub Date : 2025-05-29DOI: 10.1016/j.pediatrneurol.2025.05.025
Catherine Y. Cong MD , Laxmi V. Ghimire MD , Shannon N. Liang MD , Zareh Torabyan MD , Hiba El-Rahi MD
{"title":"Effects of Arrhythmias on the Mortality and Morbidity in Pediatric Patients With Seizure Disorders","authors":"Catherine Y. Cong MD , Laxmi V. Ghimire MD , Shannon N. Liang MD , Zareh Torabyan MD , Hiba El-Rahi MD","doi":"10.1016/j.pediatrneurol.2025.05.025","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.pediatrneurol.2025.05.025","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>Seizures, a potentially fatal disorder, share similar mechanisms of action as arrhythmias, as both result from irregular electrical activity. Although cardiac arrhythmias contribute to sudden unexpected death in epilepsy, their impact on seizure disorders remains unclear. This study examines whether cardiac arrhythmias increase the mortality and morbidity in children with seizure disorders and explores the potential benefits of incorporating cardiac evaluations into the routine evaluation and management of patients with new-onset epilepsy.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>This study used the National Inpatient Sample from 2016 to 2020. Patients aged <21 years admitted with seizures were included, whereas those transferred in and out of the hospital were excluded. A logistic regression model was used to calculate the mortality in patients with seizures with tachyarrhythmias.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>The overall in-hospital mortality for those with seizure disorders was 1.6%. The rate of mortality was much higher in children with seizures with concomitant tachyarrhythmias versus those without arrhythmias, 8.8% (n = 12,030) vs 1.5% (n = 12,320), <em>P</em> < 0.001. The length of stay was longer in the children with seizure disorders with coexisting arrhythmias versus those without arrhythmias, 5 (interquartile range [IQR] 2-12) vs 3 (IQR 1-5), <em>P</em> < 0.001. The logistic regression model also showed that tachyarrhythmias were associated with an increased mortality rate, adjusted odds ratio = 2.60 (confidence interval [CI] 2.20-3.07), <em>P</em> < 0.001.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>Children with seizure disorders who have concomitant tachyarrhythmias have higher in-hospital mortality, increased morbidities, and prolonged hospitalization.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":19956,"journal":{"name":"Pediatric neurology","volume":"169 ","pages":"Pages 156-160"},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2025-05-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144321750","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pediatric neurologyPub Date : 2025-05-28DOI: 10.1016/j.pediatrneurol.2025.05.023
Nigel S. Bamford MD , Darryl C. De Vivo MD
{"title":"Obituary: Abe M. Chutorian, MD","authors":"Nigel S. Bamford MD , Darryl C. De Vivo MD","doi":"10.1016/j.pediatrneurol.2025.05.023","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.pediatrneurol.2025.05.023","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":19956,"journal":{"name":"Pediatric neurology","volume":"169 ","pages":"Pages A7-A8"},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2025-05-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144497661","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pediatric neurologyPub Date : 2025-05-26DOI: 10.1016/j.pediatrneurol.2025.05.022
Jennifer Meylor MD , Raquel Farias-Moeller MD , Niyati Mehta MD , Rachel Sawdy DNP, CPNP-AC , Namrata D. Patel MD, MS
{"title":"Spectrum of Central Nervous System Disease Caused by Streptococcus anginosus Group: A Single-Center Case Series","authors":"Jennifer Meylor MD , Raquel Farias-Moeller MD , Niyati Mehta MD , Rachel Sawdy DNP, CPNP-AC , Namrata D. Patel MD, MS","doi":"10.1016/j.pediatrneurol.2025.05.022","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.pediatrneurol.2025.05.022","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>To characterize the electrophysiologic and neurological outcomes of pediatric patients with central nervous system infections secondary to <em>Streptococcus anginosus</em> group (SAG).</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>We report a retrospective case series of 15 pediatric patients admitted to the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) with central nervous system infections caused by SAG.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>The population was healthy with no significant comorbidities before presentation. Prodromal symptoms had an acute onset (less than four weeks), with most patients experiencing fever (93%), headache (87%), and fatigue (87%). Fourteen patients (93%) had subdural or epidural empyema, while one (7%) had ventriculitis. Nine patients (60%) underwent continuous electroencephalography recording. Seven patients (47%) had seizures, with three patients (20%) having subclinical seizures only. One patient (7%) developed epilepsy. Five patients (33%) had mild to moderate residual deficits on neurological examination at discharge. Neuropsychologic testing revealed emotional dysregulation (e.g., emotional reactivity, anxiety, depression), attention deficits, and difficulty with working memory.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>Among our cohort, patients were previously healthy with acute onset of nonspecific symptoms. Hospitalization was typically complicated by intracranial abscesses and seizures; the prognosis was favorable, with only one third of patients experiencing neurological deficits at discharge. Neuropsychologic data showed notable psychological deficits following PICU admission.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":19956,"journal":{"name":"Pediatric neurology","volume":"169 ","pages":"Pages 161-166"},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2025-05-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144364858","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pediatric neurologyPub Date : 2025-05-26DOI: 10.1016/j.pediatrneurol.2025.05.021
Elizabeth Fisher MD , Jessica Tartakovsky BA , Laura A. Bliss MD , Alok Jaju MD , Jessie Aw-Zoretic MD , Laura Vernon MD , Divakar S. Mithal MD PhD
{"title":"Characterization of Clinical Magnetic Resonance Imaging Findings in Moderate-Late Preterm Infants Diagnosed With Cerebral Palsy: A Single-Center Retrospective Study","authors":"Elizabeth Fisher MD , Jessica Tartakovsky BA , Laura A. Bliss MD , Alok Jaju MD , Jessie Aw-Zoretic MD , Laura Vernon MD , Divakar S. Mithal MD PhD","doi":"10.1016/j.pediatrneurol.2025.05.021","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.pediatrneurol.2025.05.021","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>Cerebral palsy (CP) is the most common movement disorder in childhood and is associated with both brain injury and prematurity. Approximately 10% of patients have a normal brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and current practices suggest genetic testing may be indicated for those patients. However, given that prematurity itself is a risk factor for CP, which MRI patterns are present in premature infants and whether MRI patterns are associated with genetic causes in this population are unclear. While white matter injury is the dominant underlying cause of CP in premature infants, moderate prematurity between 32 and 34 weeks’ gestational age represents a transitional period to a more diverse set of CP-causing brain injuries.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>A single-center retrospective case review of a 65 CP patient cohort was performed. Patients were identified as moderate-late preterm infants based on gestational age in the EMR, and those who had MRI reports available in the medical record, was analyzed. Five subcategories of MRI findings were defined as follows: 1) normal, 2) nonspecific, unlikely causal, 3) nonspecific, likely causal, 4) acquired pathology, and 5) congenital/structural. Comorbidities, disease burden, and genetic testing were compared across the imaging subcategories with no notable differences identified.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Initial review indicated that 95% of patients fall into an abnormal MRI category. Genetic testing was sent on 34% of patients in the cohort and a diagnosis was identified in 13% of all patients, but no statistical differences in genetic testing were noted across MRI groups. Respiratory status, feeding status, rates of epilepsy, verbal status, ambulatory status, and intellectual disability were not statistically different between MRI categories.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>In this single-center cohort of moderate-late preterm infants with CP, abnormal MRI findings were identified frequently. However, for this cohort, abnormal imaging findings were not correlated with either disease burden or genetic testing utilization.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":19956,"journal":{"name":"Pediatric neurology","volume":"169 ","pages":"Pages 148-155"},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2025-05-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144298168","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pediatric neurologyPub Date : 2025-05-21DOI: 10.1016/j.pediatrneurol.2025.05.019
Mustafa Volkan Düzgün PhD , Ayşegül İşler PhD , Mehmet Saim Kazan MD
{"title":"Effect of Avatar-Based Education Program in Hydrocephalus on Ventriculoperitoneal Shunt Complications and Parents' Knowledge and Care Skills: Multicenter Randomized Controlled Trials","authors":"Mustafa Volkan Düzgün PhD , Ayşegül İşler PhD , Mehmet Saim Kazan MD","doi":"10.1016/j.pediatrneurol.2025.05.019","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.pediatrneurol.2025.05.019","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>Preventing complications of hydrocephalus and educating parents about long-term care is critical. Hydrocephalus is a surprisingly neglected issue, considering its global burden. This study aims to develop an avatar-based education program for hydrocephalus and determine its effect on parents' knowledge, care skills, and shunt complications.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>This study is a single-blind, multicenter, randomized controlled trial. Participants were randomly assigned to an avatar-assisted education program or a standard care control group. Parents' hydrocephalus knowledge, self-assessment of care skills, and shunt complication follow-up list were assessed at one, three, and six months.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>The study findings showed that the self-assessment scores of the parents in the intervention group regarding their knowledge and care skills about hydrocephalus differed significantly from those of the control group. A significant difference was obtained in the complication parameters in the third and last tests. While there was a significant difference between the sedimentation and C-reactive protein level between the groups, no significant difference was found between the white blood cell count. While there was a significant difference in the body temperature and head circumference between the groups, no significant difference was found between the Glasgow coma scale groups.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>The avatar-based education program intervention developed for parents of children with hydrocephalus was effective in increasing parents' knowledge and care skills and reducing shunt complications.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":19956,"journal":{"name":"Pediatric neurology","volume":"169 ","pages":"Pages 131-139"},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2025-05-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144261487","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}